It is crazy to think that it has been a whole year since I first walked in through the door, got a security pass, and became a member of this organisation. 12 weeks of full on training, a large dose of self doubt, and a huge departure to the work lifestyle I was used to. And here I am now, one year on. So how has it been?
Well I suppose if you read a lot of these entries you will be familiar with some of the ups and downs along the way, but I guess the thing you really want to know is how am I feeling right now.
The answer is a simple one, amazing! To think at the start of 2024 I found out I was losing my job, and immediately set about trying to decide what my next job would be. Could I find something that would see me through the rest of my working life, and most importantly, could I find a job I loved, that paid well, and made me feel like I was making a difference. The answers are in, and they read, yes, yes and yes !
I love my job, I enjoy coming to work every shift, happily do overtime as I work with some amazing people, and I have to say the pay isn't too shabby either. Working shifts has never really bothered me, and the working pattern of the shifts is more than doable. Although I have to admit, add a little overtime in there, and it gets a little bit more hectic, but still absolutely doable.
Current work pattern is day, day, night, off, off, off. However there are some nuances. For example if you start a tour on Monday, you would work Mon Day, Tues Day, Wed Night (finishing Thurs morning), then be off Thurs, Fri, Sat and start the next tour on Sunday. So some say the day coming off the night isn't really a day off. I however find it a perfectly good day off and use it as an admin day. Take it a bit easier , do a little shopping, gardening etc, and its a perfectly good day off.
That takes a bit of a twist if you then decide to do overtime at the end of the tour. I tend to work with the next watch on the following night shift, which shortens the rest breaks between tours, but as long as it's not all the time, it is absolutely fine. I am a bit of a rebel and have decided to do some extra overtime for a bit, just to test the water, find my limits and work out my preferences of what shifts are better off doing. So I am in a bit of an experimental period right now, but still happy as Larry.
As I speak, the closing date for the next round of trainees is closing in, and I can't recommend the job enough. If you can keep your cool, work in an ever changing environment, like helping people, and want to feel a sense of pride in helping people, this is the job for you. I am finally pretty confident in what I am doing, ask a lot less questions but am not afraid to if I need to. Hold my hands up if I make a mistake, and enjoy learning and helping others learn. No one ever knows everything, and the more I settle in, the more apparent that becomes. We are all just human beings.
Of course nothing is perfect, and there are irritations and clashes, but they are of the mildest kind, and really nothing in comparison with what I was used to at the last place. But again we are all only human, and can't all get along like besties everyday.
A year ago I really didn't see myself feeling the way I do now. The idea that I would actually enjoy coming to work seemed alien to me a year ago. But now, I actually enjoy coming to work, having a chat, being around lots of other people, and communicating. Who am I?
But it is a good thing, it would be nice to progress within the role, but it is not top of my list of things to do right now. Most important is improving at my current role, being the best version mg myself, rather than trying to run before I can walk properly. In the meantime I shall enjoy the fruits of my labour, keep paying my huge bills off (teeth and all that) and start enjoying life as much as I can.
Fresh back from two weeks in Florida where I was able to unwind, celebrate my wedding AND employment anniversaries, and come back to work fresh and ready to go, which I did with a huge smile on my face. Obviously I have had to come back and immediately start doing overtime to start to pay the credit cards off lol.
Right, I am going to rest my brain before the next call....